Louisiana
In Louisiana's Cancer Alley, company cancels plans for grain export facility in historic Black town
WALLACE, La. (AP) — Residents of a historic Black community in Louisiana who’ve spent years fighting against a massive grain export facility set to be built on the grounds where their enslaved ancestors once lived appear to have finally halted the project.
A representative from the company, Greenfield Louisiana LLC, announced during a public hearing on Tuesday evening that the company is “ceasing all plans” to construct a grain export facility in the middle of the town of Wallace in St. John the Baptist Parish.
After a moment, opponents of the project broke out in cheers and began clapping and hugging each other.
“I’m still obviously in disbelief — I can’t believe this is happening, but I’m ecstatic and all praise to the ancestors,” said Joy Banner, a Wallace resident and one of the most vocal opponents of the project. She and her sister, Jo, founded The Descendants Project to preserve the community’s heritage.
The company’s announcement signaled a rare win for a community in a heavily industrialized stretch of the Mississippi River known as “Cancer Alley” for its high levels of pollution. Wallace is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of New Orleans.
“I think all of the fighting – it is coming from the love and the passion for our communities we have here along the river, and to show the world we can and you should fight,” Banner said. “We are recognizing that we do have power – that power comes from the love we have for our community.”
Earlier this year, the Banner sisters’ nonprofit purchased a plantation which had been the site of one of the largest slave rebellions in American History, the 1811 German Coast Uprising. They plan to transform it into an educational space.
The Army Corps of Engineers had already found the 222 acre (90 hectare) facility, could adversely impact cultural heritage sites in Wallace, and was tasked with reviewing Greenfield’s application.
Army Corps representative Brad LaBorde said his agency had not been informed in advance of the company’s unexpected decision to cancel plans for the facility.
“We don’t know exactly what that means,” LaBorde said. “We still have an active permit application so, if it is Greenfield’s intention to no longer pursue the project, then we would ask they formally submit a withdrawal to us so that we can conclude the review.”
Lynda Van Davis, Greenfield’s counsel and head of external affairs, said the long delay in government approval for the project has been “an expensive ordeal,” adding that she did not have an answer for when the company would submit a formal withdrawal to the Army Corps.
“This has been a difficult ride the whole time, we didn’t wake up yesterday and say we’re done,” Van Davis said. “We said we’ll stay in the fight a little bit longer, because we’ve become friends with this community. Unfortunately, how long are we supposed to stay in this fight?”
The Army Corps had found the project could affect historic properties in Wallace, including the Evergreen, Oak Alley and Whitney plantations. There also remained the possibility that the area contained burial sites for the ancestral Black community.
Some community members had supported the project, believing it would bring jobs to their town, even as opponents of the facility said tourism surrounding cultural heritage was already a thriving industry that deserved greater investment.
“I was looking forward to economic development in my community – jobs, new businesses, just all around better living for my community,” said Nicole Dumas, 48, a Wallace resident, who supported the project.
But the evening became a celebration for others. Angelica Mitchell, 53, held back tears as she took in the company’s announcement. Mitchell is still recovering from treatment for a rare form of cancer which had attacked her pancreas, but she chose to attend the public hearing despite her health struggles. The facility would have been built within a few hundred feet of her home.
“To hear that they are backing out, I am so excited, my prayers have been answered, because I’ve been praying for this for the last three years,” Mitchell said. “I’ve been asking God, just don’t let this plant come into our community. I don’t want this for our children.”
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This story has been corrected to show the hearing took place on Tuesday, not Monday.
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Jack Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
The Supreme Court will have an important decision in regards to the Ten Commandments in Louisiana public schools.
The U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment prohibits the government from establishing a religion or favoring one religion over another.” I submit that the Ten Commandments are not a religion, which is prohibited by the Constitution. The Commandments set out core principles of behavior for individuals and society, conduct which has been adopted by religions for thousands of years. Even the Quran adopts many of the core principles of the 10 Commandments. I do not know of any religion, per se, that believes the Commandments are a religion. They merely enumerate a code of conduct.
All religions have their own dogma, interpretations, rules, etc. It is that which designates them as religions, not the Ten Commandments.
It should be emphasized that the Ten Commandments are not the essence of, but an integral part of, the history of Western civilization lasting over 3,000 years. They have shaped moral and legal foundations with prohibitions on core crimes; laws against murder, theft and perjury are found in every legal code. Additionally, the Commandments protect the rights of private property and give us a civil understanding of ownership, as well as respect for parents.
Remember the Sabbath day has influenced the creation of Sabbatarian laws.
Without the Ten Commandments, we would have no Magna Carta, no Constitution of the United States or numerous other codes, including the French “Rights of Man.” They provide a moral framework with God and fellow human beings. They provide a guide to individual conduct, fostering virtues of integrity and respect. They also are the sin qua non of social order by encouraging actions of trust and cooperation. Without them, we would be savages.
Cowboys, farmers and wide, beautiful fields of grass and cattle. With there being so much to love about Oklahoma, how does one choose their future?
Starting on June 13, The Sullivan Theater will be performing the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, “Oklahoma!”
The story follows Laurey Williams and Curly McLain and their community full of a loving and rowdy cast of characters. Taking place in the early 20th century, “Oklahoma!” gives a glance into rural life in the territory before it became an American state. Full of lovers’ quarrels, dancing and a little bit of horseplay, the show is the perfect way to spend the summer.
“Oklahoma!” was Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first collaboration, not only setting the stage for their body of work but influencing musical history.
Recent LSU graduate Callie Ancelet plays Williams in the show. She found out about it while performing in “Xanadu,” Theatre Baton Rouge’s last show.
Ancelet said a lot of her experience with golden age musicals came from LSU. In 2023, LSU Opera produced “Carousel,” another Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, which Ancelet took inspiration from.
Ancelet, who now works as a music teacher, talked about how she prepared for the “Oklahoma!” auditions while already being in “Xanadu.”
“I would go to work from 8 to 4, then drive straight to the School of Music and practice my audition songs from like 4:30 to 5. Then I would go straight to Theatre Baton Rouge for a dress rehearsal or to perform in Xanadu.”
For those who may not be acquainted with “Oklahoma!”, Ancelet detailed what the show is about.
“It very much centers on love, and the simplicity of how things just always work out in the end,” Ancelet said.
Ancelet went on to explain why “Oklahoma!” is seen as an important point in musical history.
“When ‘Oklahoma!’ came out, that’s when we started straying away from super classical opera and really getting into musical theater,” Ancelet said. “That different style of singing and composing musical theater.”
The conversation shifted to talking about Ancelet’s character Laurey, and the influences on her portrayal as a character.
For Ancelet, Laurey is “on this pendulum of swinging back and forth between having to face reality” while also being a “dreamer” who “dreams with her whole heart.”
“I love when we finish off the show, and she’s just this wholehearted, well-rounded young woman, and I really loved doing a deep dive on her character,” Ancelet said.
To prepare for her role, Ancelet started by watching as many versions of Laurey as she could, and reading the script repeatedly.
During her time researching, Ancelet also took inspiration from other musical women, like Jenna from “Waitress,” Julie from “Carousel” and Elizabeth Swan from “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
She also studied Tiana and Naveen’s relationship from “Princess and the Frog,” hoping to use that in portraying her character’s relationship with Curly.
Ancelet said she particularly enjoyed working with her fellow cast members, many past castmates and Baton Rouge theater veterans. She called them excellent collaborators that she has a lot of respect for.
“When the cast list came out, and I saw all these hard hitters in our musical theater community, all these people that are so talented and I have much respect for, I was so excited,” Ancelet said.
For anyone thinking about seeing “Oklahoma!”, she has a message.
“Just sit back, relax, I’m really excited for us to immerse you in our little romantic cowboy western world,” Ancelet said.
In “Oklahoma!”, Thomas Jackson plays Curly McLain, a bright eyed, hardworking, All-American cowboy.
Jackson most recently performed in Theatre Baton Rouge’s “Waitress” and “Xanadu” with Ancelet. He has also previously worked with the Sullivan, playing Kodaly in “She Loves Me.”
In playing McLain, Jackson wanted to make sure he was “a product of his circumstances” and “super honest to the times and who he would be.”
Jackson also brought up the main conflict for Curly. Like many of the young characters in the show, he’s at the point where they have to define who they are as a person and what they want with the future, as Oklahoma as a territory is also defining itself as a part of the United States.
“I’m approaching him as somebody that knows how to take care of themselves,” Jackson said. “And because of growing up on this land, he knows how to take care of others in turn… a lot of living in this time is a marriage of survival and thriving and trying to romanticize your life to where it feels enjoyable.”
The conversation shifted to talking about the cast, specifically Jackson’s co-star Ancelet. As he was talking, Jackson told a backstage story from “Xanadu.”
“I remember we were getting ready to audition, and me and Callie sat with each other,” Jackson said. “We held each other’s hands and we said, ‘Can you imagine? What if.’”
When talking about each of their favorite parts of the show, both Ancelet and Jackson said the song “Surrey with the Fringe on the Top” was their favorite.
“It’s so precious,” Ancelet said. “We see two sides of Curly’s and Laurey’s relationship where it’s so cat and mouse. Then we center back towards the end of the song where there’s such a realness and authenticity to their relationship.”
Mentioning the Sullivan cast, Jackson called them hilarious..
“It is a group of comedians, through and through,” Jackson said.
Jackson began to talk about the theme of community throughout the show.
“I think it’s an important show to recognize right now and to remind people of their humanity,” Jackson said. “In this show we see different examples of what it’s like to be in a community.”
He talked about the character Jud who longs for community, and Curly and Laurey who “take strides into not just being part of community, but having a life of their own.”
Tickets for “Oklahoma!” are available on the Sullivan Theater’s website. Tickets are $25 for students and $35 for adults. The show opens June 13 and closes June 29.
As many as one in every five Americans has dyslexia.
Yet as of 2023, only about 1% of the nearly 700,000 students in Louisiana public schools have been identified as having dyslexia.
For dyslexic children who go untreated, gaps in reading and writing abilities can begin as early as first grade, with potential consequences over time including lower high school graduation rates or college enrollment numbers, and higher chances of unemployment or incarceration.
That’s why Louisiana Key Academy, a nonprofit charter school, has sought to bridge the gap for dyslexic students by providing testing and specialized education programs at no cost to parents. Since its launch in Baton Rouge in 2013, the school has assisted hundreds of students and expanded to additional locations across the state.
The Louisiana Key Academy plans to open its fifth and newest location in Jefferson Parish, the largest public school system in the state, for the 2027-2028 school year. The Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will vote to approve the new location in August.
“I think every parish in the state needs a Louisiana Key Academy,” said former state Rep. Joe Marino, no party-Gretna.
Fourth grade teacher Olivia LeDuff helps student Aaliyah Williams read a short story on a tablet during a Structured Language Arts lesson at Louisiana Key Academy in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects a person’s phonological processing, or ability to speak, read and spell. Dyslexia has no visible symptoms, and affects people for their entire lives.
Those with dyslexia require specialized education to meet their needs, including at least 90 minutes per day of reading instruction. Clinical diagnoses require comprehensive evaluation, including both tests and interviews.
‘What’s wrong with me?’
Dr. Laura Cassidy, wife to U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, co-founded the school with that in mind 12 years ago after watching her daughter, who is dyslexic, struggle at her private school.
“We’re spending a lot of money, but is this really going to get the kids where they need to get?” Cassidy recalled.
Cassidy said dyslexic children too often go undiagnosed or untreated, as costs and time constraints associated with the diagnosis, treatment and tutoring for the disability — as well as stigmas and lack of awareness — make it difficult for parents to access proper care, especially for those who are economically disadvantaged.
Student Kaiden Neal, center, smiles while reading aloud alongside Myles Netterville with the help of 2nd grade teacher Nicole Havard during a Structured Language Arts lesson at Louisiana Key Academy in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
A recent study from Sally Shaywitz, co-director of the Yale Center for Creativity and Dyslexia, found that about half of children grades K-2 at two New Orleans public charter schools were at-risk of dyslexia, and that a disproportionate number of Black students have dyslexia that goes undiagnosed or untreated.
Cassidy said dyslexic children who fall behind in school because they are undiagnosed can suffer from confidence issues in the classroom, which over time can lead them to drop out as early as middle school.
“You can imagine, if you’re smart but you’re struggling in school, and your classmates are pacing ahead of you, you’re wondering, ‘What’s wrong with me?’” Cassidy said. “If you’re not identified as dyslexic, then parents or teachers or administrators can sometimes think (you) are lazy or not smart.”
Those beliefs oftentimes lead to stigmas associated with dyslexia, which causes many to conceal that they have it from others, Cassidy said.
Specialized education
At Louisiana Key Academy, students are provided with 90-minute reading instruction in small groups every day, with six students for every one teacher. Children are tested for free before enrollment, and several teachers undergo two-year training in language therapy to help students.
The school operates under guidance from Shaywitz and her husband, Dr. Bennett Shaywitz, the other co-director for The Yale Center.
Principal Lisa Card, right, chats with 4th grade teacher Olivia LeDuff and student Aaliyah Williams during a Structured Language Arts lesson at Louisiana Key Academy in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
The Baton Rouge campus serves 440 students in grades first through ninth, and won approval in 2022 to add a 10th grade. The campus relocated to 5015 Auto Plex Drive last year to accommodate the change.
In recent years, Key Academy has opened additional locations in Shreveport and Covington, with a learning pod in Ruston opening in the 2025-2026 school year.
Few other schools in the region cater to dyslexic students, and even fewer provide that education tuition-free. Cassidy said parents commute from all over the state to enroll their children at Louisiana Key Academy, and some parents have even moved from out of state for the education.
“You’re just wondering, ‘Why can’t my child read? Why is my child so unhappy?’” Cassidy said. “It’s this enigma you’re not getting answers for, and then there is an answer. That’s why most parents end up bringing their kids to our school and, in the interview process, cry.”
Student Zara Williams puts her finger under the words of her book while reading aloud during a Structured Language Arts lesson at Louisiana Key Academy in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
Statewide change
In addition to her work at the charter school, Cassidy has lobbied for changes to state education policy regarding the identification and reporting of dyslexia in public schools.
In 2022, Marino authored legislation to require that all teacher education programs include at least three credit hours pertaining to the education of dyslexic students. A year later, Cassidy worked with Marino to pass legislation requiring all kindergarten teachers to screen their students for dyslexia at the start of the second semester, a law that was expanded last year to include additional testing.
“Under the current school system, as long as they are able to continue to progress without failing, they don’t identify dyslexia,” Marino said. “You might have a students struggling to get a C or D, but they aren’t catching them as dyslexic because they haven’t failed a grade. Most of these kids aren’t being identified until they’ve already missed out on the most formative years of their education.”
Cassidy’s husband, chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, has also made dyslexia a key issue on his platform and has sponsored multiple bills seeking to improve accessibility to screening and treatment nationwide.
Student Evie Kennedy looks at her teacher Olivia LeDuff over the top of her book during a Structured Language Arts lesson at Louisiana Key Academy in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
Marino commended Dr. Laura Cassidy for her work in helping students with dyslexia across the state, and with educating him and other policymakers on the subject and its importance.
“She’s a force of nature when it comes to doing good,” Marino said. “I never doubt or underestimate that Dr. Cassidy is going to get something done because I’ve seen it over and over again.”
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